Studios Line Up Special Editions for Q4

Studios continue to drop DVD titles into the increasingly crowded fourth quarter, now focusing on special editions of older films as they await the fate of the big summer theatricals.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is putting together a gift set of Oliver!, the musical that won five Oscars in 1969, including best picture and best director. The Oliver! DVD/CD Gift Set arrives Sept. 27 (prebook Aug. 25) at $19.94. Despite the low price, the set includes a CD of the 14-song soundtrack, which has long been out of print.

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, meanwhile, is preparing two special editions of recent animated classics — Tarzan and The Emperor's New Groove — for Oct. 18 DVD release. Both $29.99 two-disc sets are full of extras. Tarzan: Special Edition includes three new games, an alternate opening, a filmmaker commentary, an educational featurette that teaches kids about the jungle and three music videos, including a brand-new clip of Everlife performing “Strangers Like Me.” Bonus materials on The Emperor's New Groove: Special Edition include a sneak peek of the upcoming Walt Disney film Kronk's New Groove, a deleted scene that shows the destruction of Pacha's village; and Sting's “Making the Music” video featuring “My Funny Friend and Me,” which earned an Oscar nod in 2000 for best original song.

In the wings: a lavish 40th anniversary edition of The Sound of Music from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; a 30th anniversary edition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, also from Fox; and an elaborate three-disc collector's edition of Titanic from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Titanic, expected in October, will include a branching feature that allows viewers to access nearly an hour's worth of unused footage at the precise spots where the scenes were cut. That's in lieu of an extended version of the film. Initially, Titanic had been slated to be released in both two-disc and four-disc configurations, but it was later decided to release only one version.